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Rocky-Hannity Tonight
Watch the debate at 8:30 p.m. (preview at 8) on Fox-13, listen on KSL or KUER radio, or stream from myfoxutah.com or ksl.com. It will also be available on www.slctv.com beginning Tuesday.
Who Won the GOP Debate?
The Drudge Report on-line poll by 3 a.m. (with 58,000 voting) had Mitt Romney at 35%, Rudy Giuliani at 20%, Ron Paul at 17%, John McCain and Tommy Thompson at 6%, and the rest of the field at 5% or less. Of course, the results may simply reflect Romney’s organizational strength in getting his supporters to vote in the poll.
Weak Growth to Turn Strong
Utah economist Jeff Thredgold’s Tea Leaf economic update this week says U.S. economic growth recorded its slowest growth pace in four years during 2007’s first quarter. Despite the weakness, writes Thredgold, "We continue to expect the U.S. economy to gain strength as 2007 matures, with stronger economic growth in each subsequent quarter. We also expect to see a return to stronger economic growth in 2008."
Washington Watch
Voting Rights Act
Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett are highlighted in Washington Post story and editorial on D.C. Voting Rights Act. See also The Examiner, and The Hill.
Bennett Health Care Bill
KTVZ.com covers the Healthy Americans Act, co-sponsored by Bennett.
Land Swap Critical for Schools
Bennett press release says 40,000-acre recreational land swap between the BLM and state school trust lands is needed to consolidate checkerboard state lands and will benefit Utah’s school children.
Local Politics
SLC Budget Message
Read nine-page text of Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson’s final budget message and 166-page budget document.
Ogden City Budget
The 2008 Ogden City budget is available on the city web site.
National Politics
Best Stories From . . .
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Columnist Erin Neff wonders, “How can it be that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is not hyped in the same breathless discussions as potential ‘firsts’ Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama?”
USA Today: “The political landscape for the 2008 presidential election is shaping up with a decided tilt in the direction of Democrats.Long before either party has settled on a presidential candidate, fundamental factors that lay the groundwork for next year's election — from anti-war sentiment to a drain in GOP-leaning voters to the simple patterns of history — are creating significant hurdles for the Republicans who hope to succeed President Bush.”
San Diego Union-Tribune: Editorial says Republican Party could learn a lot from California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s move to the center. “He calls it post-partisanship, and the roots of its appeal can be found in that growing cohort of Americans who are tired of being shoehorned into politics of red or blue and who occasionally feel more purple than anything.”
Washington Post: Congressional Democrats are backing down on demand for Iraq timeline to bring troops home.
New York Times: Most people who voted for President Bush in 2004 are still satisfied with the Bush presidency.
Today in Political History
May 4, 1970: National Guard kills four Kent State students who were pelting them with rocks and pieces of concrete, in a protest against the Vietnam war.
May 4, 1989: Oliver North was convicted of shredding documents and other crimes, but acquitted of nine other charges stemming from the Iran-Contra affair. The convictions were later overturned on appeal (Source: perspicuity)
Wise Words
"All of us denounce war-all of us consider it man's greatest stupidity. And yet wars happen and they involve the most passionate lovers of peace because there are still barbarians in the world who set the price for peace at death or enslavement and the price is too high." -Ronald Reagan (Source: Patriot Post)
Utah Trivia
The U.S. Postal Service this year honored the nation’s largest plant—a grove of quaking aspen in the Wasatch Mountains—with its own postage stamp. The aspen trees share a single root system, or clone, and are considered one plant rather than many. The clone—named Pando, which is Latin for “I spread”—extends across 106 acres. (Source: American Profile)
Blog Watch
-- The Washington Post’s On Faith blog posts essays about Mormonism from 16 prominent religion writers.
-- RealClearPolitics blog says: “Surely Bob Novak would claim he's just reporting the facts, but it's hard to see his column today as anything other than a slam on Mitt Romney and his religion. Perhaps there are ways of talking about the Sept. 11, 1857, Mountain Meadows Massacre (which, for those without a calculator, happened 150 years ago -- before the Civil War even) and the upcoming movie documenting its events without tying it so closely to Romney, but Novak eschews such pretenses.”
-- Robert Bluey says Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett “sell out” conservatives by supporting the D.C. Voting Rights Act, which would give Utah a 4th congressional seat. Similar criticism comes from National Review Online’s The Corner, while FreeRide is more even-handed.
-- Fred Gedicks at Balkanization says: “The theological bed rocks of conservative Christianity–-the Trinity, resurrection, real presence, virgin birth, atonement for sins and salvation by grace–-are all as bizarre as the strangest Mormon doctrines, but seem "reasonable" because they’ve been around for centuries and are shared by large American majorities. Thus James Dobson argues--without any sense of irony--that the U.S. should be governed by (his version of) the teachings of a God who was born to a virgin, allowed himself to be crucified, and then brought himself back from the dead to an eternal life, at the same time that he suggests that Mormons or Muslims are simply too weird to be trusted with political power or office.” See also Ken Jennings and Article VI blog.
Casual Friday
Fishing Report
DWR’s website has an interesting Hotspots Report that makes it easy to identify productive waters.
This week they rate these waters as hot:
- East Canyon Reservoir for trout
- Matt Warner Reservoir for trout
- Steinaker Reservoir for trout, bass and bluegill
- Otter Creek Reservoir for trout
- Enterprise Reservoir for trout, bass
- Lake Powell for bass, striped bass, walleye and catfish
Fishing action is becoming very good at many waters around the state. See Dave Webb’s weekly fishing report for details.
Outdoors Report
-- The joys of spring skiing in the Morning News
-- Use your vacation to learn a new skill in the Tribune
-- Morning News fishes Flaming Gorge
-- Tribune’s Hike of the Week explores Jacob’s Ladder
-- Find out about upcoming events in the Morning News’ Outdoor Briefs
-- Check out the Tribune’s Outdoor Notebook and Recreation Roundup for sports and recreation activities this week
-- For the latest wildlife news and information and the fishing report visit the DWR website
New Films
-- Spider-Man 3: Tribune review
-- Lucky You: Tribune review
-- Year of the Dog: Tribune review
Concerts
-- New American Philharmonic, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Davis High School, Kaysville, free
-- Utah Valley Chamber Players, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Temple Square Assembly Hall free
-- “Dance Koester Dance,", Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
-- Utah Symphony, Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m., Abravanel Hall
-- International Children's Choir, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Temple Square Assembly Hall, free
-- New American Philharmonic, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Browning Center, WSU, Ogden, $4.50
-- Piano Area Benefit Concert, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Kingsbury Hall, U., $10
-- Viva Voce!, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Vieve Gore Concert Hall, Westminster College, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., $9
-- Madeleine Festival, Sundays through May 20, Cathedral of the Madeleine
Theater
-- “Barefoot in the Park” through May 5, Heritage Community Theatre
-- “The Jungle Book” through May 5, Academy Theatre Company
-- “Facing East” through May 6, Plan-B Theatre Company
-- “Proof” through May 12, Pinnacle Acting Company
-- “Reviving Ophelia” through May 12, Babcock Theatre
-- “My Fair Lady” through May 19, Grand Theatre
-- “No Time for Sergeants” through June 2, Hale Center Theater Orem
-- “The Secret Garden” through June 2, Center Street Musical Theatre
-- “Seussical the Musical” through June 2, Terrace Plaza Playhouse
-- “Utahoma!” through June 2, Off Broadway Theatre
-- “Phantom of the Grand Ol' Opry” through June 9, Desert Star Cabaret Theatre
-- “Thoroughly Modern Millie” through June 9, Hale Centre Theatre
-- “Les Miserables” through June 23, Pioneer Theatre Company
-- “The Secret Garden” through June 23, Center Street Musical Theatre
-- “Nunsense A-Men,” Desert Star Theatre
Museum Exhibits
-- Resonance and Return: Social Documentary Photography, 1935-Present Exhibition through May 19, Salt Lake Art Center
-- From Above: Images of a Storied Land Exhibition through May 20, Utah Museum of Natural History, University of Utah
-- The Quiet Landscapes of William B. Post Exhibition through May 28, Museum of Art, Brigham Young University
-- Brian Kershisnik: Painting from Life Exhibition through July 1, Head Trip: Around The World in Forty Hats Exhibition through August 12, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, University of Utah
Et Cetera
-- City Creek Clean-up, Saturday, 9 – 12 a.m., City Creek Canyon
-- The Organ Loft Spring Silent Movie Series, through May 25
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